This whole roasted stuffed cauliflower recipe will blow your mind.

If you don’t eat meat, this dish is a sight for sore eyes and a welcome source of plant-based nutrition that your gut is going to love, both for its digestion-enhancing as well as its filling and flavorful properties. Make it the centerpiece for your next vegetarian meal or enjoy it as a shared side dish for a larger crowd.

What You’ll Need

Be sure to pick out the largest and most beautiful cauliflower you can find at the market. The bigger it is, the more people who can enjoy it! The ingredients in this recipe are easy to come by and straightforward, although it is important to note the flaxseed “egg” component, which requires that you have ground flaxseeds (not whole flaxseeds) on hand.

Whole Roasted Stuffed Cauliflower Recipe

Serves 4

Ingredients

For the cauliflower

• 1 large cauliflower
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/2 bunch fresh thyme
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 lemon
• 1/4 cup gluten-free or whole-grain bread crumbs

For the stuffing

• 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed + 3 tablespoons water
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1/2 pound kale leaves, chopped
• Pinch of salt
• 1/2 bunch flat-leaf parsley leaves, finely chopped

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Trim off the outer cauliflower leaves and discard the stalk so that the cauliflower sits flat across the base. Try to remove as much of the stalk as possible while still keep the cauliflower florets holding together, only now with a cavity in the center. Place the cauliflower on its base in a casserole dish.

Peel the garlic and add it to a mortar and pestle with the paprika, olive oil, and thyme. Muddle the ingredients until they form a thick paste. Rub the mixture all across the outer shell of the cauliflower. Zest the lemon and set the zest aside. Squeeze the lemon juice over the cauliflower.

For the stuffing, first prepare the flaxseed “egg” by combining the ground flaxseeds with the water, stirring, and then letting sit for five to 10 minutes, or until gluey. Meanwhile, in a saucepan over medium-high heat, add the onion and olive oil. Cook and stir for one to two minutes, then add in the garlic. After another minute of cooking and stirring, add in the kale leaves and salt. Cook for another two minutes, or until the kale has substantially wilted. Remove the saucepan from the heat and transfer the mixture to a food processor. Add in the parsley, one-fourth cup water, and the flaxseed “egg”. Blend until thick and smooth.

Use a pipe to squeeze the stuffing mixture into every corner of the cavity of the cauliflower. Return the cauliflower to lie on its base in the casserole dish and pop the dish into the oven. Cook for 40 to 45 minutes, or until the cauliflower is tender, lightly brown, and giving off a heavenly aroma!

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The post Whole Roasted Stuffed Cauliflower (Because Brassica is the New Meat) appeared first on EcoSalon.

Breadsticks. Now that I have your attention, imagine enjoying them whenever you wanted without worrying about the empty calories, high carb content, or general low nutritional profile. Here’s a breadsticks recipe that erases such worries away.

When it comes to making low-carb “dough” that acts as a flatbread or pizza base, cauliflower has emerged as the shining buttress of choice. The hearty vegetable breaks down to a rice-like texture that can be mixed with eggs, cheese, and spices to resemble a wetter, spreadable dough. When cooked, you wouldn’t care to detect the difference – it’s that good. This breadsticks recipe is a lot like that of a cauliflower crust pizza dough only it churns out a lot thicker and a lot cheesier nibbles. Enjoy aside hummus, a tomato sauce, or ranch dressing dip.

In this recipe, cauliflower doesn’t just replace the white flour found in traditional breadsticks; it adds a boost of nutrition to an otherwise nutrition-starved food. Cauliflower is an excellent source of vitamin C, vitamin K, folate, pantothenic acid, and vitamin B6. It is also a great source of choline, dietary fiber, omega-3 fatty acids, manganese, phosphorus, and biotin. In a 100-gram serving of cooked cauliflower there are 23 calories, 142 milligrams potassium, 2.3 grams dietary fiber, 73% of the RDA of vitamin C, and 10% the RDA of vitamin B6. Cauliflower is known to reduce the risk of cancer, boost cardiovascular health, fight inflammation, improve brain health, support digestion, aid in weight loss, balance hormones, and build stronger bones.

Biting into each breadstick, you get more than just a delicious burst of flavor in your mouth – you get a health kick. To augment those effects, be sure to choose the other ingredients wisely. Opt for pasture-raised eggs and goat milk mozzarella-style cheese over their mass-produced, mainstream counterparts as well as a Pecorino (aged sheep’s milk cheese) instead of regular cow’s milk Parmesan.

Low-Carb Cauliflower Breadsticks Recipe

Makes 10 to 15 breadsticks

Ingredients

• 1 head cauliflower
• 1/2 cup + 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 cup + 1/2 cup shaved Parmesan (or Pecorino) cheese
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh basil
• 1 teaspoon finely chopped parsley
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Directions

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Cut the cauliflower head into florets and add to a food processor. Pulse the cauliflower until the cauliflower resembles rice. Transfer the cauliflower rice to a nut milk bag or thin cotton towel and wring out the natural juices of the raw cauliflower. This step will help to prevent soggy breadsticks.

Place the cauliflower rice into a large bowl and add the one-half cup mozzarella cheese, one-half cup Parmesan cheese, egg, garlic, basil, parsley, salt, and pepper. Fold the mixture together until well combined.

Spread the mixture onto the parchment paper so that it resembles a rectangle and is about one-half inch thick. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes. Top with the remaining one cup mozzarella cheese and one-half cup Parmesan cheese. Turn the oven to its broiler setting set at high and cook for another one minute, or until the cheese has melted and lightly browned.

Remove the baking sheet from the oven and let the mixture cool down for 10 to 15 minutes before slicing it into breadsticks. Serve and enjoy!

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The post These Amaze-Balls Breadsticks Swap White Flour With a Vegetable (Carb Who?) appeared first on EcoSalon.

This farro recipe is one of my favorite ways to use my favorite veggie! 

If you’re craving macaroni and cheese, but aren’t 100 percent ready to dive headfirst into a bucket of refined carbs, this casserole is a great substitute. Chewy, hearty, whole-grain farro is mixed with tender cauliflower florets and then smothered in a gooey cheese sauce made with skim milk.

Makes: 4 main dish servings

Time: 50 minutes

Ingredients

1 cup farro
2 cups vegetable broth
1 head cauliflower, cut into bite-size pieces
2 tablespoons butter
1 small onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons white whole wheat flour
2 cups skim milk
½ cup freshly shredded Fontina cheese
½ cup freshly shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
Salt and pepper
½ cup whole wheat panko bread crumbs

Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a medium-size saucepan, combine the farro and broth over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer until the liquid is absorbed and the farro is tender, about 10 minutes.

Set aside. Meanwhile, bring a large pot full  of water to a boil, add the cauliflower florets, and cook until fork tender, but not mushy, about 5 minutes. Drain and set aside.

While the farro and cauliflower are cooking, melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Whisk in the flour and continue to whisk constantly for 2 minutes. Slowly pour in the skim milk while whisking. Bring to a simmer and cook until thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 7 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in the cheeses, and salt and pepper to taste.

To assemble the casserole, stir together the farro, cauliflower, and cheese sauce until everything is well coated. Pour into a casserole dish and then sprinkle the top with the bread crumbs. Cover with aluminum foil. Bake for 30 minutes, removing the foil during the last 10 minutes to brown the bread crumbs.

Nutrition per serving: 499 calories, 15 g fat, 57 g carbs, 24 g protein

You can also serve this mac and cheese substitute as a side dish; it’ll serve six to eight as a side.

Reprinted with permission from “Chia, Quinoa, Kale, Oh My!” by Cassie Johnston, The Countryman Press 2015

Cassie Johnston is a freelance graphic designer, writer, and blogger. Her blog, backtoherroots.com, encourages readers to make healthier choices about food, activities, and life by living more simply. She and her husband farm nine acres in southern Indiana. Johnston is also the author of “Cooking with Greek Yogurt.” This recipe comes from her latest book “Chia, Quinoa, Kale, Oh My!”

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The post Cheesy Baked Farro Recipe with Cauliflower appeared first on EcoSalon.

If you hadn’t heard the news, cauliflower is the new kale.

That new title comes for a good reason. The vegetable can be made into vegan buffalo wings after all. And pizza crust. It has vitamin C, fiber and potassium, and while you may have heard the “stay away from white foods” line, that doesn’t apply here. Add to that B vitamins, omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin K and you have one powerful vegetable.

The majority of the appeal of the “new kale” comes from the fact that you can do so much with it. So get started with these:

1. Roasted Cauliflower Bites with Spices, Garlic and Lemon

Roasting may in fact be the easiest thing you can do, and one of the most delicious.

2. Cauliflower Mash

You may have made a version of cooked cauli mash, but how about a raw one? This one comes from raw food extraordinaire Ani Phyo.

3. Cauliflower Rice

Yes, you can replace rice with a vegetable, and when you do, you’ll wonder why you didn’t do it sooner.

4. Curried Cauliflower Soup with Mustard Seed Oil

Cook and puree, this soup recipe is simple and hearty, with the perfect dash of spice for winter.

5. Dairy-Free Lemon Pudding

I bet you never thought you’d see it in pudding did you? Well now you have.

6. Cauliflower Steaks with Ginger, Turmeric and Cumin

The new kale works great as a vegetarian alternative to meat. In this recipe they get baked to be served as “steaks.”

7. Savory Cauliflower Cake

This recipe makes a savory cake that’s somewhere in between a quiche and a meatless meatloaf.

8. Cauliflower Pizza Crust

There are many renditions on this recipe, and it’s no surprise why it’s popular. Gluten-free, and best of all: you used a vegetable to make a pizza crust!

9. Cauliflower Tortillas

If you can make pizza crust, then you can make tortillas. Hello tacos.

10. Cinnamon Cauliflower Coffee Cake with Caramel Sauce

Drooling.

11. Vegan White Cheese Party Dip

Better prep for that Super Bowl party by mastering this recipe.

12. Bulgur and Cauliflower Salad

A salad that is cold weather-friendly.

13. Cauliflower Falafel

This versatile veggie mixed together with just the right spices, and covered in tahini sauce.

14. Vegan Buffalo Wing Pizza with Tofu Blue Cheese Spread

Yeah, your vegan comfort food taste buds just went crazy didn’t they?

15. Curry Pickled Cauliflower

Pickle this veg and take it to a whole new level.

16. Cauliflower and Caramelized Onion Tart

A creamy and wintry dish that you’ll probably want two slices of.

17. Saffron Roasted Cauliflower

A whole new take on roasting.

18. Roasted Cauliflower Hummus

Good as a dip or as a spread on sandwiches.

19. Secret Ingredient Brownies

Bet you know what the secret ingredient is, don’t you? Oh, and these are vegan and gluten-free of course.

20. Chocolate Cauliflower Shake

Have your new favorite vegetable and drink it too.

21. Cauliflower and Kale Salad

If cauliflower is the new kale then putting the two together makes this the most modern salad you could make.

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Image: Kristen Taylor, liz west

The post 21 Things to Do with Cauliflower (aka the New Kale) appeared first on EcoSalon.

Something’s fishy about sushi.

Many people regard sushi as light fare – individual bites of effortless, diet-friendly goodness. However, the Japanese delight bears some danger zones that you should consider before making sushi a regular occasion.

Just like a salad, sushi can easily turn fattening if the add-ins begin to overwhelm the point of it all. One tuna roll has some 200 calories, but if you opt for the shrimp tempura roll, we’re talking upwards of 500 calories and 20 grams of fat. Many of us don’t even stop at one roll, either, so while each bite may feel light, the calories are adding up.

Other sneaky offenders include soy sauce, rice, and raw fish. Soy sauce may be low in calories, but it makes up for it with its high sodium content – one tablespoon of regular soy sauce contains up to 900 milligrams! White rice alone is adding both empty starches and extra calories to your diet while raw fish is putting you at risk of foodborne diseases by way of bacteria, viruses, parasites and mercury.

When eating out, avoid making tuna your go-to roll in order to reduce your risk of mercury exposure. If you can’t separate sushi from tempura, cream cheese, or any other fried or decadent add-ins, look at sushi as a rare indulgence rather than a daily pick-me-up. And if you want to keep things super safe, always order the veggie roll.

To keep the standards high and the mystery at bay, try making your own vegetable sushi. The following recipe is a homemade, frills-free way of doing just that. Packed with veggies, cauliflower rice, and the creaminess of the avocado, you can have your sushi and eat it too!

Homemade Cauliflower Sushi

Makes 6-8 rolls

Ingredients:

• 6-8 nori sheets
• 1 cup shredded cauliflower
• 1 carrot
• 1 cucumber
• 1 red bell pepper
• 1 avocado
• 2 scallions
• Nama Shoyu for dipping
• Fresh ginger for a palette cleanse

Directions:

Place the pepper on a stove top on high heat, making sure to turn it occasionally until it is completely blackened. Immediately place into a paper bag, store, and set aside while you prepare the rest of the vegetables.

Julienne the cucumber, carrots and scallions. Slice, core, and remove the avocado meat – slice into thin pieces. All the vegetables should be the same size. When the red pepper has cooled, remove it from the bag and under warm water, use your hands to wipe off the blackened skin. It will come off easily. Remove the pepper’s stem and seeds and julienne it.

In a food processor, process cauliflower florets until rice-like in consistency. This will be the “rice”.

Lay out each nori sheet and on one end, parallel to the dotted lines on the sheet, layer the cauliflower rice, 2 slices each of cucumber, carrot, red pepper and avocado.

Roll tightly, folding the nori unto itself as you go.

Wet the edge with a bit of water to help it stick closed.

Slice into sushi-sized pieces and serve with Nama Shoyu, which is unpasteurized soy sauce, and fresh ginger. Enjoy!

Images: Avlxyz, Aylin Erman

Aylin Erman currently resides in Istanbul and is creator of plant-based recipe website GlowKitchen.

The post Nutritional Breakdown: Veggie Sushi (Without a Speck of Rice) appeared first on EcoSalon.

Cauliflower brings the flavor and bulk sans the guilt.

Vegetable casseroles are where it’s at. Because the dish is a casserole, you feel a bit indulgent, which takes care of all those cravings for comfort, while not sidetracking your healthy lifestyle. This recipe calls for cauliflower and red pepper, but I’ve used many different vegetables – mostly root vegetables – in their place, such as broccoli, shredded carrot, celery root, beets, Crimini mushrooms, Brussels sprouts, and artichokes. The only “heavy” ingredient is shredded cheese. Use any raw goat or sheep cheese you can find, and there is no worrying weather your body will be able to process it all.

But today, the focus is on cauliflower, which is an excellent source of vitamin C, vitamin K, manganese, omega-3 fatty acids, and minerals. It helps protect against free radical damage, reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease and cancer, and has anti-inflammatory properties. Cauliflower also boosts brain function and because of its fiber content, promotes digestive health.

Cauliflower Casserole

Serves 1-2

Ingredients:

• 1 cauliflower head
• 1 large red pepper
• 1 garlic clove
• Dash of salt and pepper
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/3 cup water
• 1/4 cup shredded raw goat or sheep cheese

Directions:

Remove the core and stems of the cauliflower so that only the florets and a bit of their stems remain. Remove the inside flesh and seeds from the red pepper, and then chop it finely. Dice the garlic.

In a pot over medium heat, warm the oil. Add the cauliflower, red pepper, garlic, salt and pepper. Stir for 1 minute and then add the water. Immediately close the pot with a lid and reduce the heat to medium-low. This allows the cauliflower to steam and soften. After 2 minutes, remove the lid, stir the vegetables, and then transfer them to a casserole dish.

Sprinkle with cheese and place in the oven to broil on high for 1-2 minutes, or until the cheese has melted.

To share or not to share? Either way, enjoy!

Aylin Erman currently resides in Istanbul and is creator of plant-based recipe website GlowKitchen.

The post Recipe: Cauliflower Casserole appeared first on EcoSalon.

No shame with this figure-friendly vegan cheese dip.

Dips and sauces are dangerous territory. Sure, they seem harmless in that they are technically only condiments, but they often contain too many fats and calories to warrant another tablespoon. One of the biggest party-time offenders is cheese dip. You know what I’m talking about. It’s the kind you squeeze, pump, or ladle onto popcorn, burgers and nachos. It has a tacky light orange color that you know can’t be natural, but despite it all, you’re addicted.

This recipe is a great way to enjoy a classic cheese dip without the hard-to-digest dairy and the overload of calories and fat concentrated in a small serving.  And with the simplicity and lightness of this recipe, you don’t have to feel guilty about being a cheese dip hog. Cauliflower is a great source of vitamin C and manganese, which help protect from free radical damage and reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and cancer. Cauliflower is also a rich source of the anti-inflammatory vitamin K as well as omega-3 fatty acids. It promotes brain and heart health, is packed with fiber, and is also a good source of thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, pyridoxine, folic acid, proteins, phosphorus and potassium.

Feel free to garnish the dip with chopped scallions, herbs, or spices. It’s a basic recipe that is open to experimentation. Have fun with it!

Vegan White Cheese Party Dip

Servings vary

Ingredients:

• 1 head of cauliflower
• 2 tablespoons vegan butter (Earth Balance)
• 2 teaspoons mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast

Directions:

Remove the florets and their stems from the cauliflower. Over medium heat, simmer them in water for about 15 minutes. Drain the cooked cauliflower and rinse under cold water. Combine it in a food processor with the rest of the ingredients and blend until smooth.

Serve this dip aside tortilla chips or crudités or dollop a few tablespoons into a burrito or on top of nachos.

Bon Appetit!

Aylin Erman currently resides in Istanbul and is creator of plant-based recipe website GlowKitchen.

The post Recipe: Vegan White Cheese Party Dip appeared first on EcoSalon.

Slice the calories, fat, and sodium with a cauliflower-based alternative

Pizza very well may be the world’s favorite food, but it can really bust your diet. The more mainstream it has become, the further it has diverged from the use of authentic, high-quality ingredients as well as the larger the serving sizes have become – the bread is thicker, the number of toppings defy the point of the dish, and the amount of cheese is greater.

But one thing that has never changed is its difficulty to digest. The pairing of protein and starch, from the cheese and bread respectively, is a classic train-wreck in the stomach. Protein requires an acidic environment for stomach enzymes to digest it and the addition of starch weakens the mix, making it exhausting for your body to process a slice. This is why you may experience extra bloat on pizza night and feel tired quickly. Not to say you shouldn’t enjoy the traditional combination when you crave it, but whenever you’re looking to tighten those abs or avoid the sluggish feeling, keep this knowledge in mind!

This is even before we get to pizza’s nutritional stats. Using Pizza Hut as an example, in a 12-inch medium size pizza, one slice bears 240 calories, 10 grams of fat, 4.5 grams of saturated fat, 25 milligrams of cholesterol, 530 milligrams of sodium, 27 grams of carbohydrates, and only 1 milligram of dietary fiber. And, let’s get real, who ever stops at just one slice? Double, triple, or quadruple those numbers and you’ll realize just how much saturated fat, sodium, and empty carbohydrates you are consuming in just one sitting. Regular consumption of pizza can lead to raised blood pressure, weight gain, an increase in blood-sugar levels, and cardiovascular diseases.

To avoid the hard-to-digest starch and protein combination and reduce the sodium, fat, and empty carbohydrate levels, I created a recipe that uses cauliflower as the base. Cauliflower has a natural cheesy aroma when cooked, so you can omit cheese altogether without missing out of the flavor. Full-fat yogurt holds together the cauliflower crust, and the “icing” on these mini pizza cupcakes is made up of a simple cooked cherry tomato sauce. Enjoy!

Mini Cauliflower Pizzas

Makes 12 servings

Ingredients:

For the Crust

• 1 head cauliflower, grated in food processor
• 2 egg whites
• 1 cup full-fat yogurt
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

For the Marinara

• 1 cup cherry tomatoes
• 1 garlic clove
• 1 teaspoon coconut oil
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• Dash of salt and pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.

For the crust, pulse the florets of one head of cauliflower in the food processor until rice like. Cook in a saucepan over medium heat with 1/2 cup water. Cover saucepan with a lid and let steam for 5 minutes, mixing every minute or so to make sure the cauliflower does not brown. This step softens the cauliflower. Once softened, remove from heat and let cool in a large bowl before adding the wet ingredients.

In a separate bowl, whisk the yogurt, egg whites, basil, oregano, salt and garlic powder together. Pour the wet mixture into the cooled cauliflower mixture. Fold until thoroughly combined.

Scoop the cauliflower crust mixture into muffin cups that have been greased with coconut oil. Pack them in firmly until they reach the top of the tin. Flatten the top. Bake for 45 minutes, or until the tops have browned lightly and the edges begin to pull away from the tin.

While the pizzas bake, prepare the cherry tomato marinara sauce. Stem and slice in half 1 cup of tomatoes. In a saucepan over medium heat, sauté the tomatoes in 1 teaspoon of coconut oil with 1 diced garlic glove, 1 teaspoon oregano, and a dash of salt and pepper. Cook until the tomatoes have broken down.

One cooled, line the edges of the cauliflower crusts with a knife and remove each carefully.

Top each cauliflower crust pizza with a spoonful of the cherry tomato marina.

Photo Credit: Kohtzy, GlowKitchen

Aylin Erman currently resides in Istanbul and is creator of plant-based recipe website GlowKitchen.

The post Nutritional Breakdown: Pizza’s Healthier Half Takes Center Stage appeared first on EcoSalon.